Bybit vs Gate 2026: Pros & Cons

Bybit vs Gate 2026: Pros & Cons

Summary: If you want the cleanest trading experience and better derivatives tools, pick Bybit. If your priority is maximum altcoin access and you can tolerate a busier interface, pick Gate. 

This comparison focuses on what actually changes outcomes: where fees hide after spreads, how fast you can fund and withdraw, what the KYC flow blocks, and which platform feels reliable under pressure. 

We’ll break down spot and futures costs, liquidity and order-book depth, Earn and staking realism (not headline rates), and the friction points you only notice when you’re moving size or switching networks.

Bybit vs Gate Overview

Bybit is a crypto exchange we’ve used mainly for spot and, more often, derivatives trading, because the layout puts charts, positions, margin controls, and order types where you expect them without feeling cluttered. It launched in March 2018 and was founded by Ben Zhou. 

Bybit is currently listed as the second-largest exchange on CoinGecko and the fourth-largest on CoinMarketCap. On scale, Bybit has reached 80 million registered users in its 2025 recap. The features people use most on Bybit are perpetuals and futures, spot markets, options, copy trading, and Earn products. 

Gate is a crypto exchange we view as a strong pick for traders who care more about coin selection and trading tools than a clean beginner layout, because in our testing, it packs a lot into one account: spot, futures, margin, wealth products, launch products, and copy trading.

It was founded in 2013 by Dr. Han (CEO), with the platform originally launched as Bter before the later Gate.io rebrand. Gate’s own 2025 annual report says its global user base reached 50 million. It is currently ranked the eighth-largest exchange on CoinGecko and the seventh-largest on CoinMarketCap

The table below provides a quick overview of how Bybit and Gate stack up against each other.

Features
Bybit
Gate
Founding Year
2018
2013
User Base
80,000,000+
50,000,000+
Supported Assets
2,500+
4,400+
Max Leverage
Up to 125x
Up to 125x
Core USP/Focus
Cleaner execution, stronger derivatives, and a polished trading interface
Broader altcoin access, deeper listings, and a wider all-in-one product menu
Key Advanced Tools
Perps/Futures, Options, Copy Trading, Trading Bots, Unified Trading Account
Futures, Copy Trading, Trading Bots, Margin, Earn, Launch products
Native Token Utility
MNT ecosystem exposure may apply in some Bybit product flows
GT token for fee discounts, VIP benefits, and platform incentives
Standard Spot Fees
0.10%/0.10% (maker/taker)
0.10%/0.10% (maker/taker)
Standard Futures Fees
0.01%/0.06% (maker/taker)
0.02%/0.05% (maker/taker)
Asset Protection
Proof of Reserves with Merkle tree verification and user self-check flow
Proof of Reserves with Merkle tree verification and published reserve reports
Key Regulatory Milestone
UAE SCA VAPO license and MiCAR authorization in Austria (Bybit EU GmbH)
Gate EU MiCA authorization in Malta and VARA VASP license in Dubai

Bybit vs Gate Products

When we test Bybit vs Gate, the difference shows up fast. Bybit feels stronger for active trading workflows (especially futures, options, and a cleaner order-entry setup), while Gate feels stronger for product breadth and altcoin reach (with a bigger “everything in one account” feel).

Both cover the core stack, such as spot, derivatives, copy trading, bots, and yield products, but they target different trading habits.

Bybit Products

Bybit’s product mix is built around execution quality and active trader tooling. In our tests, it is easier to move from charting to position management without getting lost in menus.

  1. Spot Trading: Bybit’s spot offering is smaller than Gate’s, but the coverage is enough for most majors and a large chunk of mid-caps. It lists 100+ tokens and 400+ spot pairs. Bybit’s spot screen is usually easier to read than more crowded exchanges.
  2. Perpetuals and Futures: This is where Bybit is strongest in practice. Bybit Learn advertises 850+ derivatives trading pairs, and supports perps, futures, and margin modes, including isolated and cross. 
  3. Options: Bybit supports crypto options, and the options trading page currently highlights major contracts including BTC-USDT, ETH-USDT, SOL-USDT, XRP-USDT, MNT-USDT, and DOGE-USDT.
  4. Margin Trading: Margin is available for traders who want leveraged exposure in a spot-style structure. In practice, we treat this as a secondary tool on Bybit compared with perps, but it is useful when you do not want perpetual funding mechanics.
  5. Copy Trading: Bybit’s copy trading is built around followers and master traders, and the platform frames it as a portfolio management tool. We see this used most by newer users who want market exposure without managing every entry and exit manually.
  6. Trading Bots: Bybit pushes built-in automation tools such as Spot Grid, DCA Bot, Futures Grid, Futures Combo, and Martingale-style tools. These are relevant for traders who want rules-based execution without running a third-party bot stack.
  7. Earn: Bybit offers Earn products as part of its broader trading toolkit, with yields ranging from 1% to 499% APY. We treat this as a convenience layer for idle assets, not the main reason to choose the exchange.
  8. Web3/Wallet/Card: Bybit also promotes Web3 features, wallet tools, and card products in some regions. We would only treat these as a bonus, because access can depend on location and account status.
Bybit Earn.

Gate Products

Gate’s product story is about the depth of listings and a wider platform menu. It gives you more corners to explore, but it also asks for more care when moving between products.

  1. Spot Trading: Spot is the core entry point for most users, and Gate heavily emphasizes broad coin coverage with 1,700+ cryptocurrencies. If your priority is finding smaller tokens and more trading pairs, this is the main reason traders keep Gate in rotation.
  2. Futures Trading: Futures is one of the platform’s flagship products, with Gate marketing broad contract coverage and futures-focused tools such as a calculator and unified account support. 
  3. Margin Trading: Gate supports spot and margin workflows, and it provides dedicated guides for margin trading. We see this as useful for experienced users who want leveraged spot positions without moving everything into perps.
  4. Copy Trading: It has a mature copy-trading push, and it now promotes both futures and spot copy trading. That matters because users can mirror traders across multiple market types, rather than using copy trading only for derivatives.
  5. Trading Bots: Gate is strong in built-in automation and a wide variety of bots, including multiple bot types across spot and futures. This is one of Gate’s biggest advantages for users who prefer strategy tools within the exchange rather than external software.
  6. Earn: Gate positions wealth products and Earn tools as a major part of the platform, including staking and other yield-style products. We treat this as a meaningful feature set for users who park assets between trades.
  7. P2P, Card, and Buy Crypto Flows: Gate’s help and product pages show broader buy/sell rails, P2P, and card-related options. In practice, these tools can be useful, but availability and smoothness depend on the region and payment method.
Gate Bots.

Bybit vs Gate Security

Here’s how we judge Bybit vs Gate security when we test an exchange for real use, not just marketing claims: proof of reserves you can verify, incident response under stress, and account-level controls that reduce the chance of a bad click turning into a loss. 

On that basis, Bybit looks stronger in public incident transparency after a major 2025 breach, while Gate looks stronger in breadth of reserve reporting and security reporting cadence for asset coverage.

Bybit Security Measures and History

  • Safety Standards: In our settings pass, Bybit makes it straightforward to set an anti-phishing code and manage a withdrawal address book/whitelist. These are the two controls that most reduce day-to-day risk because they help stop spoof messages.
  • Proof of Reserves: Bybit publishes a Merkle-tree proof process and gives users a way to copy their proof data for self-verification, and it has PoR snapshots independently verified by Hacken, showing reserve ratios above 100%.
  • Incident History: Bybit disclosed a major theft in February 2025 involving an Ether wallet, reporting that the stolen amount was about $1.5 billion. Bybit and third-party coverage stated that customer assets remained backed and withdrawals continued, resulting in no customer funds lost.

Gate Security Measures and History

  • Safety Standards: Gate supports an anti-phishing code inside Security Settings, and it documents the anti-phishing check flow (you can confirm the code before proceeding). For users who get hit with spoof sites and fake emails, that small UI step matters.
  • Proof of Reserves: Gate has published PoR updates with a stated 128.57% total reserve ratio as of May 2025, and Hacken has published an independent assessment of Gate’s PoR implementation. Users can also verify inclusion using Merkle-tree style proofs, based on Gate’s own PoR communications.

Our practical take: If you choose Bybit, use every available lock: anti-phishing code, strict withdrawal address management, because the platform has had a major loss event on record. If you choose Gate, still turn on anti-phishing checks, keep withdrawal destinations tight, and rely on PoR verification rather than marketing claims.

Bybit vs Gate Regulation

When we test regulation on an exchange, we do not stop at a logo badge or a press release headline. We check the named legal entity, the regulator, and the exact permission type (registration, authorization, or full license), then we compare that against the platform’s actual country restrictions. 

Bybit’s Licenses

Bybit is no longer easy to dismiss as an “offshore-only” venue. In our review process, it now shows a much stronger multi-region compliance buildout than many traders still assume.

  • UAE: Bybit announced it secured the UAE’s Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) license from the Securities and Commodities Authority.
  • Europe/MiCA: Austria’s FMA confirms Bybit EU GmbH was granted authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCAR (Article 63), with listed permissions including custody, crypto-to-fiat exchange, crypto-to-crypto exchange, placing, and transfers.
  • Kazakhstan: Bybit confirms a full license in Kazakhstan and has received full authorization from the AFSA.
  • Dubai: Bybit held Dubai VARA approvals in stages (including non-operational approval before the SCA milestone).
  • India: Bybit publicly stated it registered with FIU-IND and described its compliance work under India’s AML framework. 

Gate Licenses

Gate is easier to score because it publishes a consolidated Legal Licenses, Registrations, and Approvals page with named entities and permission types. That makes it simpler for us to separate a registration from a full exchange authorization.

  • Malta: Gate’s legal page says Gate Technology Ltd (Gate EU) was authorized as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider under Malta’s MiCA framework by the MFSA.
  • Dubai: Gate Technology FZE has a VARA VASP license for exchange services, and Gate’s April 2025 announcement adds that Gate Dubai is permitted to serve institutional, qualified, and retail investors.
  • Australia: Gate’s legal page says Gate Information Pty Ltd is registered with AUSTRAC as a Digital Currency Exchange Provider.
  • Japan/Bahamas/Cyprus/Hong Kong: Gate’s legal page also lists a Japan FSA registration (No.00018) for Gate Japan K.K., Bahamas SCB approval for digital asset business, CySEC CIF license for Gate Securities (Cyprus) Ltd, and a Hong Kong TCSP license for custody-related services.
Gate Licenses.

Bybit vs Gate Futures Trading

If we are choosing a futures trading platform for major perps, cleaner execution flow, and faster risk management, we would take Bybit. If we want a bigger contract menu and more “first listing” futures exposure, Gate Futures is a strong second choice. Here’s how they compare:

Available Markets

  • Bybit: Bybit’s futures page markets 850+ derivatives pairs and also highlights futures and options contracts with leverage up to 125x. That gives us more than enough coverage for major and many mid-cap setups without feeling buried in menus.
  • Gate: Gate’s official futures page markets 450+ tradable futures and leans hard into rapid listings, which matches our experience of using Gate when we want more contract choice beyond the usual majors.

Execution and Liquidity

  • Bybit: Bybit feels easier to operate under pressure because the futures trading page is laid out around the controls we touch most: Position Tab, Asset Details, Order Zone, Calculator, and Trading Chart. That sounds small, but when you are adjusting leverage, margin, and exits during volatility, layout matters.
  • Gate: Gate’s edge is contract breadth, but the futures experience is heavier. The official tutorials show more setup steps and more settings decisions before you are fully in rhythm, which is fine for experienced traders and slower for newer ones.

Margin and Risk Controls

  • Bybit: Bybit’s futures help materials show a strong risk-control toolkit in the order flow: TP/SL setup, GTC/IOC/FOK, Post-Only, Reduce-Only, and Close On Trigger for one-way mode. These are exactly the controls we expect on a serious derivatives platform.
  • Gate: Gate’s TP/SL FAQ is useful because it spells out restrictions many traders miss: in one-side mode, you cannot place TP/SL if Reduce-only is enabled, and in hedging mode, TP/SL behavior differs when opening vs closing a position.

Trading Strategy Features

  • Bybit: Bybit’s futures stack is built around derivatives-first trading, and the platform’s docs and learn materials focus on execution, risk controls, and contract mechanics. For us, that makes it stronger for traders who want a cleaner path from setup to position management.
  • Gate: Gate puts more emphasis on futures discovery and participation tools, including help content for TP/SL, hedge mode, and beginner-to-advanced futures workflows. It also pushes futures points and rewards hooks tied to futures activity. 

Choose Bybit Futures if you care most about cleaner execution, faster risk management, and a derivatives interface that is easier to manage during volatility. The layout and order controls make a real difference when you are trading active perps.

Choose Gate Futures if you care most about contract breadth and faster access to newer futures listings, and you are comfortable managing a more complex setup with stricter attention to position mode and TP/SL behavior. 

Bybit Futures.

Bybit vs Gate Fees

Here’s how we price-check Bybit vs Gate in real trading, not just on a marketing page: we split the posted maker/taker rates from the costs you actually feel on the trade, spread quality, slippage on thinner books, funding on perps, and withdrawal/network fees. 

In our testing, Bybit is easier to estimate upfront because its fee breakdown is more direct across spot, perps/futures, and options, while Gate can be cheap on paper but needs closer checking by product, VIP tier, and fee-payment settings before you click buy or sell.

Spot trading fees

  • Bybit: Bybit’s fee guide lists non-VIP spot fees at 0.10% maker and taker for standard spot trading. These fees can fall sharply, with Supreme VIP members paying 0.045% taker and 0.03% maker fees.
  • Gate: Gate’s fee guide uses a VIP 0 example with a 0.1% trading fee rate. These fees also drop significantly with VIP 16 members receiving 0% maker fees and 0.02% taker fees.

Futures fees

  • Bybit: Bybit’s fee explainer lists non-VIP perpetual & futures trading fees at 0.01% maker/0.06% taker. That is a strong base setup for active perp traders, especially if you post limit orders often. These are reduced to 0.03% taker and 0% maker for Supreme VIP users.
  • Gate: Gate’s futures fee calculation docs make clear that futures fees are tiered and can change with VIP level and points usage. The standard fees start at 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker with further reductions to 0% maker and 0.016% taker for VIP 16 users.

If we had to summarize the fee section in one line from a tester’s seat, it is this: Bybit is easier to price before you trade, while Gate can be competitive but takes more homework.

Gate Fees.

Bybit vs Gate Supported Countries

In our checks, both Bybit and Gate are “global” in the sense that most countries can create an account, but the real story is the exclusion lists and which products are blocked where. 

Bybit’s core exchange access is unavailable in a defined set of “Excluded Jurisdictions” that includes the United States, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Uzbekistan, Crimea/Donetsk/Luhansk/Sevastopol, Sudan, Syria, and Dubai.

Gate’s restricted list is longer and changes more often, and its help page says restricted regions include (not limited to) the United States, Mainland China, Singapore, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Malta, Spain, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, India, Indonesia, Japan, Argentina, the UAE, plus sanctioned regions and countries.

In practical terms: Bybit tends to have a clearer, tighter exclusion list for the core platform, while Gate is more restrictive across many additional jurisdictions, so we treat Gate as the one that needs the most careful country check before you move funds.

Final Thoughts

If you want one exchange for active trading and you care most about clean execution, better futures workflow, and easier fee planning, choose Bybit and lock down your account settings before funding.

If your priority is broader altcoin access, more built-in tools, and a deeper listing catalog, choose Gate but double-check country restrictions, product availability, and fee tiers before every transfer or trade. 

The best move is simple: test both with a small deposit, verify the exact features available in your region, compare real spreads and withdrawal costs on the pairs you trade, and then keep the platform that matches your actual trading routine, not the one with the louder headline numbers.

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Written by 

Emily Shin

Research Analyst

Emily is passionate about Web 3 and has dedicated her writing to exploring decentralized finance, NFTs, GameFi, and the broader crypto culture. She excels at breaking down the complexities of these cutting-edge technologies, providing readers with clear and insightful explanations of their transformative power.